Dutch Reach' to Curb Dooring' Mishaps Remain Beyond Reach

HYDERABAD: Few car drivers and passengers stop to look for oncoming traffic before they open the road-side doors. Opening the door without warning has caused fatal accidents in the recent past in the city. An oncoming driver has to swerve into traffic to avoid the door, or risk hitting the open door head on.

There is a recommended practice known as ‘Dutch Reach’ that could help car passengers open the vehicle door safely, and not catch oncoming motorists off guard.

Dutch Reach is a practice for car users to use the far hand (the left hand for those on the right side seats) to open the road side door. This motion forces the passenger to swivel, look back and open the door slowly.

Police do not maintain a separate list of ‘dooring’ incident, when the sudden opening of a vehicle door into traffic causes an accident, and hence there is not much focus on holding awareness campaigns against the practice.

On being asked about the method, ACP (admin), Hyderabad traffic police, K.P.V. Raju said: “We will certainly look into this and focus on the matter,” he said.

“Drivers or passengers should always practice the ‘Dutch Reach’ method while opening the car door to avoid accidents. It is the best way to keep other road users safe,” says an advisory put up by Cyberabad traffic police on its Facebook page.

City-based road expert Naresh Raghavan, and co-author of ‘Car Driving School Manual for India’, said, “It’s very difficult to get people to do it in everyday life as they are used to checking the door mirror frequently but I emphasise on developing this approach. I have tried to practice the Dutch Reach but was unable to condition myself, so I doubt its effectiveness, whereas glancing at the door mirror is easy and intuitive,” Raghavan added.

A city-based student and road safety enthusiast Karthikeyan Rayana said, “Instead of using the closest right hand, open the car door with your left hand. Turning the body helps to watch out for cyclists and pedestrians”